KENNEBUNK, Maine (AP) — Police on Monday released the first round of names of more than 100 men they say paid for sex with a Zumba instructor who's charged with turning her dance studio into a brothel in this seaside community.

The release of 21 names followed 11th-hour legal wrangling, and some residents watched the news flash on their local evening TV news.

Kim Ackley, a local real estate agent, said that disclosure of the names of the people accused of being prostitution clients will cause temporary pain for families but it's only fair because others who are accused of embarrassing crimes don't get breaks.

"What's fair for one has to be fair for the other," said Ackley, who believes she knows several people on the list. "The door can't swing just one way."

Residents had been anxiously awaiting the release of names for weeks since 29-year-old Alexis Wright was charged with engaging in prostitution in her dance studio and in an office she rented across the street.

Wright, from nearby Wells, has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, invasion of privacy and other charges. Her business partner, 57-year-old insurance agent and private investigator Mark Strong Sr., from Thomaston, has pleaded not guilty to 59 misdemeanor charges.

Police said more than 150 people are suspected of being clients and many of them were videotaped without their knowledge.

In town, residents heard the list could include lawyers, law enforcement officers and well-known people, heightening their curiosity.

The prostitution charges and ensuing publicity, which reached across the country and beyond, came as a shock in the small town, which is well-known for its ocean beaches, old sea captains' mansions and the neighboring town of Kennebunkport, home to the Bush family's Walker's Point summer compound.

The list of names was delayed Friday by legal action by an attorney representing two of the people accused of being johns. The lawyer, Stephen Schwartz, said releasing the names will ruin people's lives, even if they're ultimately acquitted of the misdemeanor charges against them.

Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren on Monday denied a motion seeking to block disclosure of the names. But he ordered that addresses should be withheld for those people who were victims of invasion of privacy when their acts were recorded. The Associated Press was reaching out Monday evening to men on the list, but it was difficult to confirm their identities without knowing their addresses.

Some people in town said they had their suspicions about Wright, but others were in the dark about the life of the bubbly dance instructor who introduced many local women to the Latin-flavored dance and fitness program.

Ackley's daughter, Alison Ackley, who participated in Wright's class four or five times, said she had no inkling of any illegal activity.

"She was so young," Alison Ackley said. "She had a lot going for her. It's a shame she was hanging out with these older men and getting money from them."

Kim Ackley said she believes the interest will die down once all the names become public in the coming weeks.

"These guys have got to pay the price," she said. "It will all blow over in time, you know. A year from now it won't even be talked about, once it goes through the courts. You've got to move on and go on with your lives."

___

Associated Press reporter David Sharp in Portland contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine supreme court could decide Monday whether it'll hear arguments on an appeal aimed at keeping a list of suspected johns confidential in a prostitution case in Kennebunk.

The Kennebunk Police Department declined Friday to release any of the more than 150 names of suspected clients while the appeal is pending. The appeal seeking an expedited hearing was brought on behalf of two of the men who are on the list.

Lawyer Stephen Schwartz said he doesn't believe the state can prove the charges and that releasing the names will cause "devastating consequences."

Alexis Wright, a 29-year-old Zumba instructor, has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, invasion of privacy and other charges. Her business partner also has pleaded not guilty to 59 misdemeanor counts.